The Job (continued) & The Date
by wolfgirl2001
Summary: Picks up right at the Jim/Pam conclusion of Season 3, leading up to and including their first date.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I have no idea why I only started watching the Office a little while ago- I must have been living under a rock. I had seen one or two random episodes, but this is definitely a show where in my opinion the whole is greater than the sum of its parts- it took watching the pilot (and subsequently binge-watching the first four seasons in their entirety) for me to fully appreciate its greatness. I think it's written phenomenally and can't really imagine Jim and Pam getting together any other way than how it played out in the series (though if I think of something I'll definitely write about it!). So as it stands, I'm just going to fill in some blanks, focusing on what happens immediately after the Jim/Pam conclusion in the Season 3 finale (that last shot of Pam is probably my favorite part of the whole series so far) through Jim and Pam's first date. Not the most original idea, I know, but I've avoided reading similar fanfiction for that specific reason. Will toggle back and forth between Jim and Pam's POV.

* * *

Chapter 1 (Pam's POV):

Pam could tell that the camera crew was ecstatic that they had managed to capture such a pivotal moment in the primary Dunder-Mifflin intra-office romance. Obviously recognizing what an emotional, distracted, daydreaming mess she had suddenly become, they didn't even try to pull her attention away from Jim. They did the opposite, in fact, asking her question after question about him and how she felt about this new development. Even though it wasn't Pam's style to divulge her most intimate secrets to a film crew, it actually felt good to be able to talk about some of her newfound and heightened emotions. After being peppered with questions for at least another hour, Pam was finally excused from their session.

Pam had hoped to see Jim upon exiting the conference room, but a quick glance at his neatened desk revealed that he was likely gone for the afternoon. It wasn't a surprise- she wasn't expecting to see him at all that day, in fact. He had initially requested to put in a half-day with some flexibility, not knowing how long his interview would take or when he would get back from the city. But that didn't make his absence now any less disappointing. Pam let out a shaky exhale as she made her way back to reception.

When she reached her desk, she immediately noticed the purple Post-It note that had appeared on its surface with her name on it. Her initial reaction would typically have been to fume for a minute. A lingering occupational hazard, Pam still felt her blood pressure rise a bit whenever she saw one, especially from Michael (it served as a reminder of how insensitive her boss could be sometimes, specifically his accusation that she had been stealing them for fifty cents a pop back when he had fired her 'as a joke'). Today, however, on the heels of Jim asking her out, it didn't even faze her. And she brightened upon realizing that the note was penned to her in Jim's unmistakable scrawl:

 _Pam,_

 _Sorry for leaving while you were in with the cameras- I wanted to do a few things this afternoon to get ready for our date. I think I have your address…pick you up at 7:30? Dinner reservations are at 8._

 _I literally can't wait-_

 _Jim_

Pam smiled, the same goofy grin that overtook her face the second that Jim Halpert had walked back into her life. She 'literally' couldn't wait for their date either.

Yet their date was almost five hours away. Pam sat at her desk, glancing at the clock even more frequently than usual. 2:37, 2:42, 2:46. Despite his proclamation that he couldn't wait, the significance of Jim's patience suddenly was not lost on her. She tried to appeal to her rational side. _You're being ridiculous, Pam. Jim waited for years. You can wait an afternoon._

Yet- she couldn't convince the rest of herself of that. Her palms were so sweaty that she had to keep wiping them on her skirt, especially when she wrote down messages for Michael. Her heart still hadn't returned to its normal rhythm; it kept palpitating and sporadically Pam felt like it would burst out of her chest. Her nerves were shot; she almost jumped straight out of her seat when Dwight tapped her on the shoulder to ask if she'd make him some more copies of his "Schrute-bucks" (why he needed more now, Pam didn't know). And because her mind kept wandering to different scenarios of how her date with Jim would play out, Pam found herself woefully, embarrassingly distracted- often letting the Dunder-Mifflin phone ring numerous times before it even occurred to her to answer it.

She still couldn't believe she was going out on a date with _Jim_ from the office! Or how excited she was about it. The fact that she could never actually admit the truth about how she felt- to herself, especially- made her now want to proudly proclaim it to anyone who would listen. _Yes, I'm going out with Jim- and yeah, I_ really _like him_. Yet she didn't know if Jim had told anyone else from work about their plans- and she didn't want to be the one to spill the (jelly) beans if Jim wasn't ready for that yet. She was tempted to make the trip up the precariously narrow ladder of the fire escape just so that she could shout it from the rooftop.

Instead, she headed to the break room to grab a drink, her throat completely parched from her nerves. Pam needed to find as much as possible to occupy the last two-plus hours of her shift- and, of course, her drifting mind. She eavesdropped on all of her coworkers along the way, in keeping with one of her time-killing work pastimes. As she sauntered past them, she overheard Andy reassure Dwight that their painted black office scheme was brilliant and that Michael just didn't get it; she heard Phyllis on the phone, mumbling to someone (obviously not a client) about Vance Refrigeration; and she heard Kelly blathering on about Ryan to Toby. When Pam reached the empty break room, she quickly glanced around to make sure the coast was clear- and then she jumped up in the air as high as she could (which really wasn't very high). She just needed to take a second to express her sheer exhilaration before going about the rest of her day. She stood for a while at the vending machine, mulling over her drink choice, drawing out her decision as long as humanly possible merely to pass the time. After what felt like at least a half an hour but according to the clock was only four minutes, Pam was about to settle for water (she didn't want to look bloated for her date) when she felt a light tap on her shoulder.

"Beesly?"

At the sound of Jim's voice, Pam spun around to face him. He was still wearing the suit from his interview at corporate, and _damn_ , did he look sharp. She still wasn't used to seeing his hair short or styled- it made her want to run her fingernails all through it, mess it up a little. The purple Post-It he had left her was adhered to Jim's right pointer finger.

"Halpert," she breathed, trying to sound normal, but she knew she was failing miserably. Jim was resting one of his hands on the vending machine, so he was less than an arm's distance away from her, and the proximity was making Pam feel a little lightheaded. Probably in part because Jim must have worn aftershave or something for his interview. He smelled so _good_.

"Um, what are you doing back here?" she asked him after a few moments. She needed a bit of time to collect herself.

"I've been in and out. I had to take care of a few things," Jim replied cryptically. He raised his hand, referencing the Post-It. "I just wrote this in case I didn't see you."

"What kinds of things?" Pam wondered, raising a brow at him.

"Um, well-" Jim hesitated. "I broke it off with Karen. That's one of them."

"Oh." Given that Jim had just asked her out on a date a little while ago, she supposed the move wasn't particularly surprising. Still, it was a little weird to talk about. "How did it go?" It would feel awkward not to somehow acknowledge what he just said, considering the enormity of his news.

Jim shrugged. "I mean, she was never the one I really wanted to be with- and I think I always knew it. But Karen's such a good person, you know? I dunno…" Jim trailed off, looking down, avoiding her gaze.

Pam nodded in understanding. She couldn't blame Jim for feeling guilty or having these kinds of residual feelings for Karen, not when she was with Roy for so long. Plus, Karen really _was_ nice. She felt her own little pang of sadness, since _her_ relationship with Karen would never be the same, either. They weren't that close, but Karen was one of the few people at the office that Pam genuinely liked, someone that she could have envisioned being friends with outside of work, if circumstances weren't what they were. However, the pang was _very_ temporary. An acquaintanceship with Karen was _nothing_ compared to what she might be getting in return.

"…it was actually pretty hard. And it took longer than I thought it would."

Pam came back to Earth at his words. She placed her hand on Jim's shoulder, giving him just a hint of a grin. "That's what she said?" she murmured sympathetically. Michael's catchphrase would forever be ingrained in their minds, and while it pained her to admit it, it could actually be pretty funny sometimes.

Jim looked up, finally meeting her eyes. "That's what she said," he echoed. He cleared his throat, face suddenly looking serious. "It, um- it was the right thing to do, though, I'm 100% sure of that." He looked into her eyes for another second, and then at her fingertips brushing the top of his bicep, before breaking into a big smile.

God, that smile- it melted Pam's heart. In that moment, she just felt so lucky. She could feel herself beaming, too, though she was a little bit self-conscious, and she slowly pulled her hand away. She tried to shift gears, lighten the mood. "So- you _literally_ can't wait until tonight, huh? Like if we can't go right now your heart will just explode or something?" she teased him, though in actuality Pam was just describing how _she_ currently felt.

Jim's smile faded; his cheeks flushed slightly and he averted her eyes. "Yeah, something like that," he murmured. "I thought that might actually be the case for a while." He sounded serious. He paused, avoiding her gaze, before speaking up again. "Hey listen, I really am going to get going now- I still have some stuff to finish up-"

Pam had hit a nerve, perhaps embarrassed him. She had to fix it. "Jim-" she said a little desperately, reaching her hand out again, this time putting it gently on his forearm. "I, um- I literally can't wait for it either." It nearly killed her to be so grammatically incorrect, but she'd deal with it if it made Jim feel better.

Jim met her eyes again, and his grin was full-on now. "Good. I've still gotta go now, though. Lots of stuff- including work- to do before our date. See you at 7:30 at your place?"

Pam nodded, still a bit in disbelief at the prospect. "See you then."

Jim gave her his classic smirk. "This date is going to kick your ass, Beesly. You literally won't want it to end," he turned and sauntered out of the break room, leaving Pam a little breathless. She had no doubt he was right.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 (Jim's POV):

Jim sat in his car in the parking lot of Pam's apartment complex. As he readied himself to get out, to go and get her, he thought about what had transpired between the two of them in the last several hours.

When he had burst into the conference room to ask Pam out in front of the cameras (he _literally_ couldn't wait any longer to do it) and she told him that she was free tonight, it all felt surreal- like he was in a dream. After all this time, he was finally going out on a date with Pam Beesly. The initial shock of her acceptance had worn off relatively quickly, though, as his mind instead became occupied with all of the things he needed to _do_ in order to make their date the most unforgettable one of her life (though, admittedly, Roy had set the bar pretty low). He had what he felt were some pretty good ideas, but he still needed to set them in motion, which he started to do the second he shut the conference room door.

And when he had caught her by surprise in the break room- Jim had to smile. He hadn't told Pam because she would have been mortified, but he had been watching her the entire time she was in there (and saw her little jump for joy as he had approached). Actually, that wasn't the only tidbit that Jim had withheld from their conversation. He grimaced a little- he _hated_ not telling the whole truth, especially to Pam- but he really wanted to surprise her tonight. So there was no way he could clue her in on the real reason she didn't see him after she met with the camera crew, what he had _really_ been doing to get ready for their date. What he had told her was true- he _had_ broken it off with Karen- but in reality that had happened immediately after getting back from the city, before he had even asked Pam out. It wouldn't have felt right otherwise.

Jim gave himself a once-over as he got out of his car, brushing off his clothes to minimize wrinkles and in case there was anything on them. He had changed out of his suit, settled on some nice khaki pants and a lightweight navy sweater. As he stepped on the far end of the sidewalk to walk towards Pam's door, he realized that he was empty-handed. Suddenly he felt a like a bit of a schmuck, not having anything to present to her from the outset, but his mind had been racing with so many other things all afternoon that he had completely forgotten about this part of their date. _That's okay_ , he rationalized, _better to start slow, not overdo it- it will make the end of the evening that much better._ Besides, he knew Pam well enough by now to know that she wouldn't judge him.

Still, he wanted to have _something_. Jim glanced at his surroundings. He had always prided himself on keeping calm in stressful situations- it was what made him such an asset to Dunder-Mifflin. This was stress in the best possible way, but he could still feel his heartbeat accelerate as he tried to figure out a last-minute contingency plan. As it so happened, on the side of the complex near where his car was parked, one of the apartments several down from Pam's had a blooming flower garden. While passing it _en route_ to Pam's place, he swiftly reached down and picked a perfect yellow daisy. _There. Better than nothing. It's the thought that counts, anyway._ He made his way to Pam's front door with a smile on his face.

He hesitated. This was it. _Well, here goes nothing_ , _Halpert_ , he thought _. You've only been anticipating this moment for the last four years._ Jim rang the doorbell to Pam's apartment. It was 7:32 p.m.

When the door swung open, Jim took a sharp intake of breath. God, Pam looked gorgeous.

"Hey," she greeted him. She looked like herself, but had obviously put a little more effort into her appearance for their date than she did for a day at the office. She wore a skirt similar to the ones she usually wore, but instead of her typical blouse, she had on a burgundy V-neck shirt with cap sleeves that accentuated her figure _very_ nicely. Her hair was down and wavy, and her makeup was just a little more pronounced than he'd ever seen it- especially around her eyes. She wore heels and lip gloss, too.

"Wow," was all he could think to reply, before adding hastily, "You look great."

"Thank you, so do you," she replied shyly, glancing up and down at him before keeping her eyes trained on the flower in his hand, a half-grin on her face. He offered it to her, a little sheepish.

"Thanks. Here you are. You ready to go?" he inquired.

"Yup. Just let me grab my purse and put this in water," she accepted the flower. "It's pretty, thank you," she responded before adding with a wink, "It looks local." She quickly disappeared from view, and then came back a minute later, the flower that was in her hand now replaced with her handbag, and a little sweater in case she got cold.

Pam locked her apartment and they took off towards Jim's car. Of course, when they got there, he accompanied Pam to the passenger's side, where he unlocked and opened the car door for her. She smiled and thanked him for the gesture and got in.

And, as per fairly standard first date etiquette it seemed, by the time Jim had reached his own side, his door was already unlocked and Pam was starting to lean back towards her side. He smiled, too.

Pam waited until Jim had gotten the car on the road before speaking up.

"So where are we headed?"

"Farley's. I hope that's okay," Jim hesitated. He had never been one to agonize over decisions, but he basically had done the closest thing to it trying to figure out their dinner arrangements for the evening.

Scranton didn't have a whole lot of dining options. He wanted to go somewhere with better food than Chili's or Poor Richard's. Cooper's had pretty delicious seafood, but cheesy décor. But even though Farley's was one of the nicest places he could think of to eat in town, it still wasn't quite as- _special_ as he pictured for the first date with the love of his life. He had entertained the idea of taking her into Manhattan, but it was just too long a drive, and he'd already made the commute once today. It had briefly occurred to him earlier to pick up some amazing take-out after his interview, just in case- but that was before he had asked Pam out (or even broken up with Karen, for that matter), so he didn't want to jinx anything by being presumptuous. He'd even debated for a split-second about cooking dinner himself, but after the day he'd had- the interview, the drive back from New York, Karen, asking out Pam, everything he'd done to get ready- he really just wanted to relax during their dinner conversation, and if he was cooking, he knew he wouldn't be able to unwind.

So Farley's it was, unless Pam voted for something else. "I, um, I made reservations," he tentatively added.

"Farley's sounds great," she said. Jim should have known- Pam was one of the most agreeable and easygoing people he'd ever met.

"You sure?" Jim raised an eyebrow at her.

"Yeah, I think their seafood is even better than Cooper's," she replied.

 _Whew_. She might have only been saying that to make him feel better, but either way, he took it. He started to relax a little more in the driver's seat as they made small talk.

They arrived at Farley's a short time later. He planned to open Pam's car door again, but she had gotten out by the time he reached her side. More than anything, Jim wanted to grab her hand while they were walking towards the restaurant, but they hadn't even done anything on their date yet, so he figured it was probably too soon. He settled for holding the door to Farley's open for her instead. She smiled at this gesture, too.

The hostess greeted them as they entered, and Jim mentioned their reservation. She quickly ushered he and Pam to their seats. Almost immediately a waiter approached their table, filling their water glasses and asking for their drink order. Jim briefly scanned the drink menu an ordered a somewhat local IPA. Pam ordered a Chardonnay, and the waiter scurried away to get their beverages.

"I'm surprised you didn't order a margarita, Beesly," he commented casually.

She looked around. "Not really the place for that," she replied softly.

Jim shrugged. "Bummer. It was awesome to see you get a little sloshed at the Dundees. An encore would be fun sometime."

Pam had just the hint of a blush on her cheeks. "I'll bet. Maybe not for our first date, though."

Friend Jim probably would have backed off after her response. He'd always felt bad for her, having to put up with Roy, so there had always been a limit as to how much he was willing to tease her. Now that they were on a date, though? All bets were off. So he continued, thinking of something that she probably didn't remember, something he had refrained from bringing up all this time- until now. "The kiss was nice that night, too," he added off-handedly.

The expression on Pam's face was priceless. Her eyes widened in shock and she suddenly looked a little pale. "We kissed that night? Are you serious?"

"You kissed me, actually," Jim replied, smiling wickedly.

Pam's hint of a blush suddenly transformed to all-out redness. "Oh," she said. "God, I'm so embarrassed. I don't even remember! I'm so sorry."

"That's okay," Jim quickly reassured her. "I remember it _very_ well, but I figured you probably didn't. I just hope you remember the one that I give you later on tonight." He wasn't trying to sound overconfident, but there was really no question about that aspect of their date as far as he was concerned.

Pam's redness began to take on a more purple color. "I'm sure I will," she whispered, clearly mortified- but she slipped him a sexy look in there, too.

Just then, the waiter returned with their drinks and asked if they were ready to order (Pam looked a bit relieved at the interruption). Jim hadn't taken a second to look at the menu, not with Pam sitting across the booth from him, but when the waiter asked if they wanted to hear the specials they agreed, and they both heard something that they wanted to try. Jim got the Porterhouse steak with shrimp and a salad; Pam got linguini with clams. The waiter scribbled down their order and left.

"So- did I miss any good gossip from work today while Michael and I were gone?" Jim asked to cut the tension, change the subject. He purposely left out Karen's name.

Pam noticed the omission, he could tell, but after a second she brightened as she replied. "There was so much that happened at work today that I wanted to talk to you about! More than usual, even."

Jim smiled. He had things he wanted to tell her, too. "Like what?"

"Well, for starters, I had a new job title for the day."

Jim looked at her questioningly.

"Secret Assistant to the Regional Manager."

"Who was the Regional Manager?" He was fairly certain he already knew, based on Dwight's bombastic behavior right before he left work this morning, but wanted to hear Pam's verification.

"C'mon, do you even have to ask? Question:" she began, in a hilarious attempt to imitate Dwight, "What is the most important element in the production of above-ground leafy growth?" She sighed. "You do a better Dwight than I do, Jim. And it's nitrogen, not phosphorus, by the way."

Jim was simultaneously charmed by Pam's adorable yet terrible Dwight impression and puzzled by its content. "Why was he talking about above-ground leafy growth?" He asked her.

"Oh, it was all part of his origins of paper lecture series. Would you believe that Dwight even brought in seven different types of Pennsylvania topsoil?"

Jim laughed. "Sounds like I really missed out."

"That wasn't even the half of it. Dwight and Andy painted Michael's entire office black, just to intimidate everyone. And, oh, wait!" Pam reached into her purse and retrieved a folded-up piece of Dunder-Mifflin paper. Unfolding it, she broke into one of her toothpaste commercial grins. She was so cute. "Here," she said slyly, passing the paper to him. Their fingers brushed across the table, and Jim could feel the jolt of electricity that passed between them coursing through his entire body.

"What's this?" Jim asked, trying to concentrate on the paper in front of him more than that touch. He examined the sheet and furrowed his brow.

"It's a 'Schrute-buck'. They're worth 100th of a cent, according to Dwight. He kept passing them out today." She paused, taking in Jim's expression. "Wait, you're thinking of a prank, aren't you?"

"Maybe." She was half-right- Pam knew him too well. He couldn't help it- Dwight begged for it, really, by making currency with his own name on it. The possibilities were endless, though the one that stuck out the most was shrinking the papers to actual money-size, and talking with his friend that stocked the vending machines. Of course, the other half of him was still thinking about Pam touching him just now.

"I'm not sure it could top the one that Creed pulled."

"Creed pulled a prank on Dwight?"

"Actually, I think he was serious. So maybe not."

"What did he do?"

"Oh, he made about a bazillion copies of them, and then wanted to cash them in. Threatened to flood the market with them if Dwight didn't pay him upfront."

Jim laughed again. "That's pretty smart, actually."

"Yeah, I know." Pam cleared her throat. "What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Anything you want to tell me about today?"

Jim thought a moment. He didn't want to say anything from beyond when he had asked her out, and he didn't particularly want to elaborate on his breakup with Karen, either. "Well- Michael 'withdrawing' from the position at corporate because of Jan was pretty funny," he began. It was one of the more amusing Michael and Jan moments that Jim had witnessed, and he proceeded to give her the rundown- though since he observed it with Karen, he didn't want to get into too much detail. "But, um," he continued. He actually reached out and took her hand in his, held it on purpose this time. "I guess what I want to say most is thank you. For writing that note and leaving me that Dunder-Mifflin Olympic medal in my HR file. As soon as I saw it, I knew I wanted to come back."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 (Pam's POV):

Thoughts flitted in and out of Pam's mind as she reapplied her lip gloss in the mirror of Farley's women's bathroom.

Thoughts like:

 _I can't believe I kissed Jim at the last Dundies! I was with Roy and everything. Wow, I must have been wasted. And it's a pity I don't even remember it, because Jim is_ such _an amazing kisser. It would have been nice to have had more than one kiss to fantasize about this past year._

And:

 _Wow, it's a good thing I wrote Jim that note; otherwise, would he be taking Karen out tonight instead?_

And:

 _I shouldn't be surprised, because it's Jim and me, but this date is going just perfectly so far._

Her thoughts were circular (well, except for her thought about Karen, which she vowed to shove out of her mind as fast as possible). She wanted to focus on the last thought, but her last thought directly related to her first thought. Jim already said he'd be kissing her good-night this evening, and that only made her think harder about the kisses that they'd already shared.

As if she hadn't thought about the Dunder-Mifflin casino night often enough in the last year. In fact, Pam was sure that there wasn't another fifteen-minute stretch of time in her entire life that she'd agonized over so much. She kept going back to Jim's confession; wondered how it was possible for him to have taken her so off-guard, how she could have been so blind to his feelings. The only thing that she had been able to conclude was that she wasn't being honest- not just with Jim, but with herself and the feelings she had for him in return. But Pam thought even more about Jim kissing her- how romantic and passionate yet simultaneously sweet and tender he was. How the chemistry they shared just ignited in that moment; how she'd never once felt that with Roy the entire time she'd been with him. And of course, how much of a dope she was for denying what she felt in that kiss, for breaking Jim's heart, because she was afraid of disrupting the status quo. It was a decision that, when she finally came to her senses a little while later and called off her wedding, haunted her all the way up until- today.

And yet- at the same time, it was Pam's kiss with Jim that had given her hope, resolve. Hope that she would feel that way about someone again, and resolve that she _should_ feel that way about the person that she was with. Pam had had a lot of lonely nights in the last year, and while thinking about that kiss broke her heart because of what 'could have been' with Jim, it also kept her from ever regretting ending things with Roy, or going back to him again after he was fired. And if she'd gone back to Roy, she'd never be out with Jim tonight.

And it was going _so well_. Jim looked amazing, and Pam actually felt pretty confident in her appearance, too (Jim's reaction to seeing her all dressed up certainly helped). Pam was pleased with Jim's decision-making so far- she loved Farley's. She was nervous, but more in an anticipatory way than in an awkward typical first-date way. She and Jim were having great, normal, fluid conversation. If Pam had to nit-pick something that wasn't perfect, it would be that Jim seemed a just little unprepared at the beginning of their date. She instantly recognized the flower Jim picked as being swiped from her elderly neighbor, Gladys (she frequently saw Gladys gardening in the summertime, and usually struck up conversations with her). However, Pam felt shame in admitting that even to herself, especially since Jim had a really long day today. He was probably just too tired to go running around after work to bring her something. Besides- even if it was at the last-minute, he still thought of her, which was really all that mattered- it was more than she could ever say for Roy. The flower was insignificant when she compared it with how every other part of their date was going, and even more so with what she anticipated happening later. She already knew Jim, and he was already one of her best friends, but now were entering a pretty foreign (though wholly new and exciting) territory- romantic intimacy. At the very least, Jim was going to kiss her tonight, and if it was anything like their last kiss, fireworks would explode and the earth would shift a little. So as well as their date was already going, she knew it was going to get even better.

Pam blinked in the mirror, realizing that her daydreaming had been going on for quite some time and that she'd better get back out there, or else Jim might wonder if she had fallen in.

She returned to the table, Jim smiling and half-standing to greet her, and they sat back down. He spoke up right away, as if he'd been thinking about something specific the entire time she was gone.

"All right, now it's your turn to confess something," he said.

"Confess something?" The thought made her jittery and anxious, but at the same time, she thought about how liberated she felt at the beach when she'd finally let everything off her chest. She could do that again.

"Yeah, I confessed that you kissed me at the Dundies-,"

"Can you really confess something on my behalf just because I couldn't remember it? I think that's against the rules," she teased.

"Well, I also confessed that I liked it," he replied. "And I confessed that it was partly your note that prompted me to ask you out."

"Partly?" Of course, they both knew what the other part was. Her beach confession. He didn't have to elaborate. "Okay," she finally conceded. "I guess- I guess I can say- that I wanted to say what I said at the beach for a really long time. Months. Even years. I'm sorry I didn't say it sooner. But at the same time, I'm really grateful that I had to learn an important lesson the hard way- that sometimes you have to stand up and fight for what you really want." She smiled at Jim shyly, taking _his_ hand in hers this time.

Jim smiled. "It's okay. I'm just so glad you finally did. It's what I really needed to hear. And, I, um, I wanted to kiss you the moment after you said it," Jim confessed immediately, gripping her hand tighter, squeezing her fingers. "So much. I just- I couldn't. It wasn't the right time, with Karen there. I know you understand."

"Yeah," Pam agreed, eventually withdrawing her hand. She knew all about bad timing and former lovers. "I didn't expect you to."

"Hey, and speaking of exes, what exactly did you say to Roy to make him come after me like that?" Jim inquired suddenly. He didn't look accusatory, just insanely curious. "I've always wanted to know the exact words you said to set him off."

Pam looked at him apologetically. "I didn't do it on purpose, I swear," she said. "I just told him the truth, that you and I kissed because we had feelings for each other."

"Feelings for ach other?"

"Yeah, of course," she said. She wanted to emphasize that his feelings didn't go one way, even if perhaps she didn't realize it at the time.

"Well," he said, smiling, "Almost being punched was worth it then, in my opinion, if it got him out of your life for good."

The waiter brought them their meals just then, seemingly signaling the end of "confession". That was okay; perhaps they'd get back to it when they had a little more privacy. In the meantime, Pam was happy to downshift their conversation into something a little less serious. She and Jim began talking about their families, about Scranton, and of course, about the office and their coworkers. The linguini she'd ordered was fantastic, though it was heavy on the garlic, and she was relieved that she had brought some mints in her purse. After raving about her dish, Jim asked her if he could try it, and she couldn't suppress a grin when after she nodded he reached his fork over to sample her meal. It was so amazing that they were at that point already! _Plus, he'll have garlic breath, now, too._ In return, she insisted that she try a bite of his steak, and when he cut off a piece and delicately placed it onto her plate, Pam found herself hoping that he'd fed it directly into her mouth instead.

Jim told her to save some room, so Pam left a small part of her portion on her plate, but Farley's had an amazing chocolate brownie, so Pam asked Jim if he would split it with her. He said sure, but added that he was still full and wondered if she'd be willing to get it to go so they could share it later. She agreed.

When the check came, Pam made a halfhearted attempt to grab it, but she knew that Jim would insist on paying, which he did. She didn't argue- sales made far more money than reception, and Jim had been the one to ask her out tonight, after all. She just sat back and enjoyed every millisecond of it.

"Thank you so much for dinner," she said appreciatively as the waiter took the check and they got up. "It was delicious."

"It was my pleasure," Jim said sincerely, smiling so much his eyes crinkled at the corners.

They started to walk to his car, and when Jim grabbed her hand, Pam almost gasped out loud at the contact. It felt more incredible than she could have possibly imagined holding his hand while they were walking _could_ feel.

Pam's thoughts were consumed now with what was going to happen next, whether this was all Jim had planned for their date. It was all he stipulated when he had asked her out, he didn't say, "dinner and drinks" or "dinner and a movie". She hoped beyond hope that he wasn't planning for their evening to end. Though surely if that were the case, he'd have suggested they eat the brownie already?

Pam finally worked up the courage to ask him as he pulled his car out of the restaurant parking lot.

"So- um, where to next?" Pam tried to be casual, but her heart was racing as she awaited Jim's answer.

"Um, I was hoping you might want to watch a movie," he said.

Pam exhaled, relieved that their date wasn't yet reaching its conclusion. She nodded. "Sure." She checked her watch. It was just after 9:45. "Do you know what's playing? Or when the next shows are?"

"Actually, I uh- I know it's kind of a pain, but I was hoping we could drop by the office for a minute beforehand," he said. "I left some things there today. And I thought you could check out some movies you wanted to see on the internet while we were there."

"Oh, okay," Pam replied. "Good idea." She was a little taken aback- she figured they'd go right to the theater- but Jim had been running around like a crazy person today, so it didn't surprise her in the least that he'd have forgotten some things, left them in the office by accident. Neither she nor Jim had the internet on their phones yet, so it made sense to see what movie options they would have at the Regal Cinemas before making the trip out to the theater. Truthfully, though, it didn't really matter, as long as she was with Jim.

They drove to Dunder-Mifflin, which was fortunately just a few minutes away. Jim called security to unlock the building, and they entered the elevator alone together. Something felt decidedly _different_ about this particular elevator ride with the guy who had always been her best friend. Being in such an enclosed and isolated place seemed to ratchet up the sexual tension. Pam was half tempted to kiss him right then and there.

When they reached the office, Pam stopped at the reception desk while Jim kept going. Right away, she turned on her computer and began checking the movie listings online. Hmmmm, _300_ was still playing late, but she was pretty sure Jim had already seen it. It looked like _Spider-Man 3_ had showtimes of 10:30 and 11:00, and she knew she wanted to see that one- she had really enjoyed the first two. Hopeful that Jim would want to see it too, she glanced up to ask him- but he wasn't there.

Thinking that maybe Jim had just gone to the bathroom or to get a drink, Pam decided to keep busy for another few minutes. She picked up the phone. One of the first things she had to do in the morning was listen and respond to the messages that had accumulated on the Dunder-Mifflin answering machine overnight- the company had a few clients located in different time zones, so it was pretty typical to get requests and orders after close. Putting in some time now would save her time she needed to devote to the task tomorrow. She listened to five voicemails and jotted down the relevant information on separate Post-it notes. Three of the calls were from Dwight's clients, one was a wrong number, and the last one was actually a client of Jim's. Pam finished up a minute later by dropping the notes on Jim's and Dwight's desks, but by the time she had finished, Jim still hadn't returned.

Thankfully, she didn't have to wonder what he had been up to for too long. A minute later, Jim called out her name. She couldn't place from where his voice was originating.

"Where are you?" She yelled.

"Up here!" He replied. It sounded like his voice was coming from the ladder to the roof.

Pam walked to the ladder; she saw Jim on the upper rungs. "Come up for a second," he said, "the temperature's amazing up here."

 _True_ , Pam thought- it _was_ a beautiful, breezy, summer evening, and the roof always seemed a little cooler than the ground. She was hoping that Jim would suggest they do something outside. But since they were getting ready to go back inside to an air-conditioned movie theater, she might as well enjoy the weather now, for however brief a time they were up there.

"Okay," she said, watching her feet, carefully stepping on each ladder rung. When Pam finally reached the top and looked up, she let out a gasp.

Jim had obviously spent a lot of time up on the roof at some point today.

Pam glanced around, taking it all in. The ambiance was perfect- Jim had lit several candles and had even used a strand of twinkling Christmas lights, which were strung haphazardly around the rooftop. While the only furniture up here remained those ridiculous tattered lawn chairs, Jim had brought up a blanket that he spread out over both of them in order to make their seating more comfortable. Next to the chairs on one side Pam could see two champagne flutes, a bucket filled with ice and the top of a chilling bottle of wine, and a picnic basket. The picnic basket was partially opened, and she noticed part of a giant bag of French Onion Sun Chips peeking out. And she didn't know why it took her so long to look on the other side of their chairs, but when she did Pam saw a pretty crystal vase filled with a dozen red roses.

Her eyes welled up with tears. She said the only thing that she could think to say. "Oh, Jim."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 (Jim's POV):

Yep, it was all worth it.

Just seeing that expression on Pam's face- one of shock and wonder and disbelief- and hearing her say his name like that was enough to make Jim's ridiculously busy afternoon completely and utterly worthwhile.

She kept looking at him, then back to the roof, then at him, then back. Her eyes sparkled with the threat of tears. "I can't believe you did all of this."

Jim grinned even wider, but shrugged nonchalantly. "I wanted to. We can still _go_ to the movies if you want, but I thought…if you're up to it….we could watch one up here instead."

"That sounds perfect," Pam breathed. It took her a second, but then she glanced around again, puzzled, noticing the lack of any kind of TV screen or projector. "Wait, watch a movie on what?"

Jim pulled out his video iPod from his pocket, along with a little pair of headphones. "On this," he replied. "I thought about trying to get the office TV up here," he explained, "but I realized after about a fraction of a second that there was absolutely no way that was happening."

Pam smiled. "Sounds perfect," she said again softly after a moment.

Jim took Pam's hand and slowly led her to the lawn chairs positioned towards the side of the rooftop. He gave both seats a quick brush with his hand, making sure that nothing had fallen on the blanket, and then gestured for her to sit. She obliged.

"I took the liberty of adding a few movies I thought you might want to watch," he said. "Wanna see?" With that, Jim leaned closer to her, and caught a whiff of some kind of fruity body wash. He inhaled it even more deeply, like he was taking his last breath before diving underwater. He turned his focus on the iPod and scrolled through it to show Pam the list of movies he had downloaded. He felt a little stab of guilt using the device- Karen had been the one to go with him when he'd purchased this new iPod three weeks ago. Yet he couldn't bring himself to get rid of his old one- every time he looked at it he thought about the night he shared his music with Pam and they'd swayed together under the lights of the Dunder-Mifflin parking lot- so he'd stuffed it in the back of his drawer instead. And Jim didn't want to admit it, even to himself, but at least some part of him had envisioned this exact date with Pam as soon as he learned about the new iPod. And a littler part of him wanted to buy it for that specific reason.

Pam's excited voice quickly drew Jim out of his thoughts. "Dazed and Confused, Edward Scissorhands- 28 Days! Jim! How did you remember all of these?"

 _I remember everything*,_ he thought. But instead he said, "I don't know- I just remember some of the movies you like. And it is definitely 28 Days, not 28 Days Later, by the way- I double-checked." Jim gave her a wry grin as he teased her.

"I told you, that was only because there was no label on the video at Blockbuster," she explained, sounding slightly exasperated, though a smile lit up her face, too.

"Sure, Beesly. By the way, I put Dazed and Confused first since it's on both of our top-5 lists."

"Well, it's in my top 3. So suck it, Halpert," she said, eerily reminiscent of their conversation during a work fire drill. She stuck her tongue out at him for a moment in mocking. "That's the one I want to watch," she pronounced after a few moments.

Jim kept his eyes on Pam's mouth long after she'd retracted her tongue- he just couldn't help himself. He thought about what it was like to kiss her on that casino night, how warm and soft her lips and tongue were pressed up next to his, how unbelievable that moment was in his mind. And yet- it made him feel conflicted, like it always had, for the heartbreak that was to come just a few seconds later. He wanted to kiss her again tonight- assuming the outcome would be different, of course- in part so he could think about just _kissing_ her and not the rejection he had experienced along with it. In fact, he wanted to kiss her enough times to be able to just wipe the end to that wonderful yet horrible night completely from his memory. He wanted to kiss her so that he could focus on them _now_ and not _then_. Plus, he just wanted to kiss her.

He wondered if Pam was thinking along the same lines that he was. By choosing a movie that they had both seen dozens of times, neither of them had to pay all that much attention. That was just fine by him.

"Okay, sounds great," Jim replied, a little hoarsely, clearing his throat. Eager for a distraction, since he figured he ought to at least wait until the movie _started_ before kissing her, he reached beside him to the picnic basket instead. He pulled out the French Onion Sun Chips triumphantly.

"Ta-da!" he said. "Snacks!" He handed the bag of chips to Pam. She accepted them with a huge smile. Being up here with her tonight- being _out_ with her tonight- brought back so many different office memories. He remembered a time where he gave her a bag of these chips only to practically run in the other direction. All because they were joking around and in getting carried away he'd picked her up and held her tight to his body.

 _I wonder what she'd do if I held her that way now._

"My favorite!" she exclaimed, gleaming, though somehow she didn't sound particularly surprised. "Thank you."

"Oh, I'm not done," he continued, this time reaching further into the basket to reveal his next dessert option. "Not particularly fancy I realize, but I know that you like it," he presented the Yoplait Mixed Berry yogurt to her with a flourish as he continued to dig in the basket for a spoon.

Expecting Pam to at least smile, Jim was a little surprised when he looked over to find her staring at the ground, head down. He quickly added, "Hey, no pressure, I know you have that brownie somewhere- in the car maybe? I can get it for you. Or, if you want I can always go back down to the office and make us some microwave popcorn." He started to stand up, but Pam gripped his forearm solidly to stop him. When she looked up at him, her eyes were full of tears. "No. This is great. My brownie's down in the car with my sweater. But that's okay. I want you to stay right here with me."

Jim smiled again- hell, he'd been smiling all night, but this time it was so wide that he knew his cheeks would start to hurt. He didn't care. He sat back down, settling in the rickety chair. The blanket that he'd brought up here was enormous- there was plenty sticking out from either side- so he wrapped himself up using his extra piece and gestured for Pam to do the same. "Sounds like a plan. Are you cold?" he gestured to her bare arms. It was summer, but the breeziness of the cool night air on the rooftop was enough to make _him_ a bit chilly, and he was wearing a sweater.

"A little. Thanks," Pam said sincerely, pulling her own remaining blanket up over her side to meet his at the front.

"Oh, and I know you already saw this," Jim gestured to the ice bucket sitting to his left side, pulling out the bottle of champagne. "Would you like some? Or is it too cold for that?"

"No, champagne is good," Pam said, nodding.

Jim carefully unwrapped the foil from the lid and popped the cork, careful to direct the bottle away from Pam. He reached down and retrieved the flutes, then filled them partway with the bubbly. He handed one of the champagne glasses to her as he cleared his throat. "A toast?"

Pam eyed him carefully. "Sure, to what?"

Jim shrugged. "How about to our first date?" he raised his glass in the air before realizing something. "Or wait, is it our second date?" Of course, the whole reason that he brought her up here tonight- because of the evening they'd spent together after acting out _Threat Level: Midnight_. An evening that was so romantic to him that he would have given anything to be able to call it a real date when it happened. _'Some might even say we had our first date last night' 'Oh, really?' 'Really.' 'Why might some say that?'_ In light of how things were now, could Pam have reconsidered her perspective on whether or not that night counted?

Pam shook her head adamantly. "No, tonight's our first date," she said firmly.

Jim attempted to read her expression, letting his arm drop a bit, trying to decide how to feel about her response. "Okay," he said eventually. There were a lot of sensitive subjects here, he supposed- Pam was still with Roy back then, after all, and didn't want to suggest that she was ambivalent about being on a date with another guy. Jim hesitated to say anything else.

"I can't let that night be our first date," she explained after a few more seconds of his silence. "I mean, it was a great night, but I want our first date to, um, _end_ a little differently." With that, Pam looked him in the eye and gave him a sly smile.

 _Wow_. Jim gulped as he processed what she was saying. Speechless, he just held up his glass again.

This time Pam spoke up. "How about- to the start of something really, really good?" she suggested.

Jim couldn't disagree with that. "To the start of something really, really good," he murmured. They clinked glasses and downed their drinks in one gulp.

* * *

As the first notes of 'Slow Ride' permeated into his left ear, Jim sat fixed in the exact same position he was in for the last hour and a half, surprising even himself with how content he was. He thought as soon as the opening credits were over that he and Pam would just kiss the hell out of each other as the film they both knew so well played in the background. But instead, Pam rested her head on his shoulder- much like that day she had fallen asleep during one of their office meetings- and Jim didn't dare move. Just being able to smell her hair and gently wrap his arm around her shoulders and feel her deep breathing near his chest while watching the movie (in between onion chip eating, of course) had been more than enough for him. And actually _watching_ the movie with her was just _so much_ _better_ than watching it alone.

But the movie was ending, and Pam was looking up expectantly at him. "What now?" she asked.

He thought about that evening that _wasn't_ their first date, the one that he was admittedly trying to recreate somewhat tonight. _'Cause there was dinner. By candlelight. Dinner and a show, if you include Michael's movie. And there was dancing and fireworks. Pretty good date.'_

He grinned. "Let's dance," he said.

Pam blushed. She looked like she was considering it, which is more than Jim knew he would get if she were stone-cold sober. But she'd had wine with dinner and they'd each had another (full) glass of champagne during the movie. "I don't know."

Jim brightened, reaching around to his side, near the picnic basket. "I've got an idea. Dancing will be more fun with props." He reached into the slim white box and pulled out a couple of sparklers. He had a lighter nearby from all the candles, so he quickly lit them and extended one to Pam as he gestured for them to get to their feet. "C'mon, swaying doesn't count, remember?"

She smiled and gave him a little nod as she gingerly took the sparkler and stood up. "Okay."

He held his sparkler in his left hand out away from them; Pam moved hers to her right hand and did the same. They were still tethered together by his earphones; though not close enough, in his opinion. Jim eased towards her. This certainly wasn't a slow song; it was more mid-tempo, so the typical rules of slow-dancing didn't apply. Jim started moving to the music, mostly being a little goofy, sometimes a little crazy, sometimes a little sexy, all while waving the sparkler around (being careful not to singe them in the process, obviously) and managing to keep a straight face. Pam followed suit, laughing and blushing the entire time.

The music from the end credits was still playing and they both still had their ear buds in. In dancing close with Pam, Jim was only now realizing how suggestive the lyrics to the popular Foghat song were.

 _'Slow down, go down, got to get your lovin' one more time  
Hold me, roll me, slow ridin' woman you're so fine'_

It felt late, but oh so early.

* * *

 _*Just a little nod to one of my favorite Pacey lines from Dawson's Creek (I'm in the middle of a Dawson's fanfic, too, in case you were wondering about the reference)_

A/N: Are you guys going to make me grovel for reviews? I didn't get one last chapter :( Or has this theme been done to death or something?


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 (Pam's POV):

As weird as it felt at the start, and as awkward a dancer as Pam was, she had to admit she felt a little disappointed when the _Dazed and Confused_ credits stopped rolling and the classic rock song was over.

She just wanted an excuse to keep standing that close to Jim, she supposed.

It wasn't like there was this slow, sensual rhythm that they shared- both she and Jim were entirely too uncoordinated when it came to dancing- but for those couple of minutes, they embraced each other's awkwardness and just had fun together. And, amazingly enough, it was pretty hot anyway. Probably because the way that Jim encouraged her to let loose and completely be herself around him was one of the things that made him so attractive. Not to mention, the spark between them was more palpable than the pyrotechnics in her hand (though admittedly, the sparkler had burnt out at least a minute ago. Still, Pam was referring to the ignited version).

The song now over, Jim gently reached up to retrieve his other earpiece, softly touching her earlobe, loosening the ear bud, and then gently tugging on the wire before taking a step back. Pam gasped a little- who would have thought that Jim touching her ear could feel so good? They shared an uncomfortable silence before Jim spoke up. "Dancing, check, fireworks, check. Well, the non-first date has been pretty well matched at this point, wouldn't you say?"

Pam smiled. "Sure, I'd say so."

It had been torturous, but when she was in a particularly masochistic mood last year she would think back to the times that she and Jim shared together before he dropped the L-bomb. She would often read into the things he said and did, trying to decipher his feelings for her in retrospect. The non-first date Jim spoke of after they read about Agent Michael Scarn had really stuck in her mind. How could she not have put his feelings together by that point? I mean, Jim had made her a grilled cheese sandwich for crying out loud. Years of so-called intimacy with Roy and he'd never made that type of gesture. And thinking back to the conversation she had with Jim the next day about whether or not it was a date- what was she thinking? How could she have been so clueless? And so blasé? Complete and utter denial was the only answer she'd been able to come up with so far.

It made Pam feel even stronger in her conviction- _this_ was their first date. This was so much better than that night, not because Jim had gone out of his way to make tonight special (though that was pretty spectacular in and of itself), but because she knew how much he felt for her. And she felt just as much for him in return. Maybe more.

"Well, it's midnight-" Jim began.

"Threat level?"

Jim smiled. "Yeah."

Realizing that Jim probably didn't have much else planned for the evening, Pam felt a little powerless to stop time. He looked like he was about to ask her if she was ready to go. She really didn't want to; she didn't want to get in the car, because she knew that Jim would probably drive her straight home. She was more than a little anxious for what would happen when they got there- in all likelihood she'd have to make a big decision that she wasn't sure she was ready to make. Suddenly, Pam had no desire whatsoever to leave the office. "Let me help you clean up," she suggested brightly, a bit out of nowhere.

Jim gave her a puzzled look. "Are you sure? I had been planning to leave some of this stuff up here and grab it during a break at work tomorrow, but if you're willing to help-"

"I am," Pam interjected, smiling nervously.

"Oh, okay, great, thanks," Jim said, nodding. They set to work.

* * *

It had taken them two trips and fifteen minutes (largely because the candles were still warm), but they finally hauled the last of the stuff down from the roof. Jim excused himself for a moment to return the strand of Christmas lights and the candles to the storage room, where the Party Planning Committee housed several of their extra decorations. Not knowing what to do with the picnic basket, Pam wandered over to Jim's desk to set it down. Was it his, or Dunder-Mifflin's? Pam didn't know.

While she stood there, her dozen roses now sitting at reception caught her eye, and she couldn't help but stop for a minute and stare at them. They were so _beautiful_. Pam thought back to all of the Valentine's Days she'd worked at Dunder-Mifflin- how she would have _killed_ to receive a bouquet like that from Roy to proudly display on her desk- but she'd never gotten one. It was hard to remember when Roy really stopped trying, but it was a long time ago. The fact that Jim could make their date so special- even after _years_ of the two of them being friends- meant a lot to her. She just wasn't sure if she wanted to keep the roses where they were or take them home- she wasn't sure if she was ready to deal with everyone else at the office hassling her about them (or her and Jim, period) just yet.

Pam was still deep in thought about her flowers when she saw Jim's sweater flash in her peripheral vision. He had sneaked up on her and by the time Pam spun around, her face was just inches from his.

Jim didn't say a word, but Pam could see the plethora of emotions expressed in his eyes. Desire, love- but also uncertainty, hesitation, even fear. Slowly, he leaned forward and his arms slid around her body as he gently pressed his lips to hers.

In the first moments of their kiss, Pam felt such a strong sensation of déjà vu that it nearly took her breath away. It didn't take her long to realize why. It was _here_. _Right_ here, in this exact spot by Jim's desk _._ It was _here_ where he'd kissed her after telling her that he loved her; _here_ where he'd laid it all on the line and risked their friendship in the hopes that they could become something more.

Suddenly it all made sense. Why he didn't kiss her up on the rooftop tonight, despite the incredible ambiance, the candlelight, the romance. Because _of course_ he had to kiss her here. It was why, despite how well their date went, Jim still had the look of a scared little boy for a second before leaning in towards her. Because of what had happened _here_. Because it was _here_ where she had broken his heart.

She was never going to break it again.

The good news was that the story was still being written. Tonight Pam had the opportunity to rewrite that horrible ending that occurred between her and Jim on casino night- because it _wasn't_ the end. Their characters hadn't been killed off- they were right here, and Pam could choose what happened to them. _That's_ why Jim kissed her here- because she had the power to change their narrative. And he hoped she'd want to. He was right- she did. More than anything.

Pam fisted her hand in Jim's hair, pulling him closer. She opened her mouth a little wider to deepen their kiss. This time, there was no way in hell she was going to be the first one to pull away.

As soon as Jim could sense her responding, he moaned a little in her mouth, turning her on even more. They stood there and kissed for some unknown length of time, his mouth warm and inviting, his body flush against hers, his arms holding her tight, until he finally pulled back a while later.

But it was only to utter a single word. "Wow," he said, eyes still a little glazed over, trying to take her in. Pam wondered if he was going to say anything else, but Jim just stood there, mouth agape, like he literally couldn't believe what just happened. Emboldened by the effect that she seemed to have on him, _this_ time, instead of avoiding his next kiss, Pam stretched up to kiss _him_. Hard.

They kissed. And kissed. It was better than Pam remembered, and she'd elevated that kiss on casino night to an unbelievably high platform in her fantasies. Their kissing tonight varied dramatically from achingly tender and sweet, lips barely touching while Jim's fingertips slowly combed through her hair, to reckless and passionate and wild, tongues intermingling and eager hands pulling each other closer than their bodies could actually go. Pam loved every second of it all but for drastically different reasons.

In the gentle moments, the ones that reminded her more of their first (entirely sober) kiss, Pam was completely content, thinking that this was the perfect ending to their evening, happy with the knowledge that they would see each other at work tomorrow, where they would hopefully make more plans for this weekend. This part of her was thrilled at the expression she saw on Jim's face, at her toast, when she proposed that this was only the beginning. In those moments she was thankful for such an incredible first date _._

And yet- their heavier and more unrestrained kissing reminded her that she could have even _more_. Tonight, even. Her fantasies during _those_ moments took a decidedly more sexual turn. She kept thinking about where _else_ she wanted Jim to put his hands, his incredible mouth. How she'd been so lonely and had been craving intimacy with him for so long. She'd been dying of thirst out in the desert, and now she finally had access to cold water. How could she stop at a couple of glugs if she had the opportunity to drink the entire gallon?

Pam couldn't tell if it was her conflicting thoughts or just kissing Jim that was making her head spin. She wondered if Jim was feeling as confused as she was. After another minute or so he pulled away.

"Everything okay?" she asked him.

Jim smiled. "Yeah. It's great. But we've been standing here for the last-," he glanced at his watch to check the time, "thirty-seven minutes. Not the most comfortable place to be in my opinion. Would you, um, like to go somewhere else?" His voice sounded hesitant, but hopeful.

 _Shit._ That question already. Pam assumed she was safe from that kind of pressure until they'd at least reached the car, but apparently not. "Um-" she could tell she was blushing furiously; her face suddenly felt incredibly hot. "Um-" she said again, stalling for time. "I don't know- maybe-,"

Pam's sheer embarrassment seemed to amuse him. Jim smiled again and ruffled his fingers through her hair. "Pam, it's okay," he began reassuringly. "It's fine. I've had an amazing time tonight. But we both have to work in the morning anyway. It's getting late. I should drive you home."

Pam should have felt relieved that Jim was making a decision, taking the pressure off of her. But she couldn't help but feeling a little rejected. She dropped her head and felt her lower lip began to protrude, just a little. "Okay," she whispered, trying not to let her disappointment show.

"Hey," Jim said comfortingly, picking up on her confusion, on her inner struggle, even if she didn't directly share it with him. He gently put his fingertips on her jaw, tilting her face upward until their eyes met. "It's okay. We'll see each other tomorrow at work. And we can hang out this weekend sometime, right?"

"Tomorrow?" Pam blurted out. She didn't care how desperate that made her sound. Any longer than that before she saw him again would feel like an eternity.

"Tomorrow," he said reassuringly. "Actually- tonight," he corrected himself, grinning. "In eighteen hours or so?"

Pam nodded. "Okay," she replied. She immediately felt better. "It's a date," she said, brightening.

Jim reached over to interlace his fingers with hers. "It's a date," he repeated softly.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6 (Jim's POV):

Jim looked across to Pam, sitting in the passenger's seat. He had to admit he was having a harder time than anticipated keeping his eyes on the road. Her expression looked a little nervous- Jim wondered what was on her mind. Her cheeks and lips were still a little red from their kissing.

And _damn_. What kissing it was. It was pretty spontaneous on his part, he supposed, breaking with the traditional end-of-date-on-Pam's-front-porch type of kiss or the make-out-during the movies type of kisses. But things were perfect as they were during _Dazed and Confused_ , she'd seemed a little anxious up on the roof after they danced, and she seemed even more anxious now, so it was probably best that he caught her a little off-guard. When Jim saw her standing right there, in _that_ spot by his desk, with this dreamlike expression on her face, he knew he had to go for it.

And he was _so_ glad he did. Aside from the fact that he would now be able to work at that desk every weekday and be reminded of the hottest half-hour of his life (so far), he finally got the closure that he really needed, the ability to put the heartbreak he felt on casino night behind him for good. Onward and upward.

The only hesitation Jim was feeling was whether he should have stopped it at all. Maybe he should have just kept kissing her like that until Pam halted things; they could have gone on for hours, he was convinced. But of course he had to put a stop to it by getting ahead of himself; by thinking of other places where they could continue their kissing that would be far more relaxing, someplace where they could lay down and take their time. Of course, thinking of lying horizontally with Pam opened the floodgates for what _else_ they could do tonight, and now Pam knew that he was thinking about it. Hopefully she wouldn't hold that against him. He had been in love with her for years, after all.

And seeing that flush on her face- man, he just wanted to make it deeper and redder tonight; there was so much he wanted to do to her, for her. He felt the desire to make up for lost time. But he couldn't let himself think about it too explicitly or he wouldn't be able to walk Pam to her door when he reached her apartment parking lot. From her reaction to his suggestion on the roof he gathered that Pam probably wasn't ready for more than kissing just yet. That was fine by him- he was used to waiting for her, and he'd wait as long as it took until she _was_ ready. _Just go home and take care of yourself in the meantime, Jim._

He glanced back over to see Pam biting her lip. He couldn't watch her do that- it was too hot. He had to know what she was thinking about.

"What's up?" he asked her casually. "Something on your mind?"

Pam blushed even more hotly. "No," she said, but her voice trailed off in a way that Jim knew immediately she wasn't telling him everything.

Jim laughed. "C'mon, Beesly, I know you a little better than that. 'Fess up, would ya?"

Pam shifted in her seat, letting out an audible sigh. "Okay," she relented after a moment, "I'm really embarrassed to say this but it's _you_ so I think I should say it, but I'm only going to say it now because you're driving, so just keep your hands on the wheel and your eyes on the road and don't look over at me or touch me, okay?"

"Uhhh, okay," he replied. This was proving to be a difficult task as he was _dying_ to sneak a glance over at her, or put his hand on her knee, but he couldn't risk her not telling him whatever it was, so he concentrated on keeping his eyes straight ahead.

"Okay. Listen, I don't want our date to end right now; I was excited when you suggested going somewhere else. It's just that- well-,"

"It's just that what?" Jim asked her gently, though he was nonplussed. He was trying to be as patient as possible but in truth this was killing him, not knowing what she was about to say _or_ being able to see the expression on her face as she said it.

"It's just that- well, this is our, um, first date," she stammered. "I mean- I've only ever been in one real relationship and it seemed like it was forever ago and this is our first date," she repeated. "I feel like it's been ages since I've really dated and I don't know what I'm doing and I don't want you to think that I'm slutty and I don't want to _feel_ like I'm slutty and… it's our first date."

Jim smiled, ever-so-slightly. "I get that it's our first date, Pam. I didn't suggest that because it was first-date convention- I suggested it because I wanted to. Because we've been friends for so long. Because I'm comfortable around you but really excited by you. Hell, we probably know each other better than a lot of married couples do." He sighed, taking a deep breath. "Trust me, I _don't_ think you're easy- I know your history, remember? But I want us to do whatever _you_ want, whenever _you_ want to, you know? I wasn't trying to pressure you. I'm sorry if I did." He hoped that he was reassuring enough. He really didn't want her to feel so nervous around him.

She sighed audibly, relieved. "Okay. Thank you for listening. I told you I was trying to be more honest lately. Especially to myself, I guess."

Jim expected her to say more, to make some sort of conclusive statement about what they were going to do, but none was forthcoming. So he let it go, but looked over in her direction as briefly as he could, just to check in on her. She had a little smile on her face and looked significantly more relaxed. Satisfied, Jim turned back to the wheel.

A few minutes later they pulled into Pam's complex, and Jim immediately got out to walk her to her apartment. This time, Pam stayed in the car for a minute and let him open his car door for her. "Thank you," she murmured, smiling as she got out.

They walked slowly up to her front porch, hand-in-hand; meandering really, drawing out the process for as long as possible. When they reached the door, she turned to face him. Considering how many heavy subjects they had touched on tonight, Jim thought best to keep it light in their waning moments. "Well, I hope that missing The Apprentice was worth it," he said, "unless you TiVo'd it."

Pam smiled. "I don't own a TiVo. But that's okay. I- um, I had a really great time."

"Me, too. Well, Beesly, I know how you feel about the power of a good night's sleep- REM cycle and all that. I guess I'd better leave you alone."

"Yeah, I'd _much_ rather be spending all this time by myself," Pam said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

She looked so cute in her sarcasm that Jim leaned down and kissed her again- though this one was short and sweet. He didn't want to get all worked up like he had before. But he hadn't even fully straightened back up when Pam practically lunged at him, kissing him again. And her kiss was a hell of a lot more forceful than his was.

"Sleep is overrated," she said, taking a moment to pause before kissing him again. "I can always call off of work tomorrow if I need to- say that I'm sick," she managed to get out in-between kisses.

Jim smiled against Pam's lips. "Spontaneous dentohydroplosia?"

"Yep, that exact thing."

"Well, I won't blow your cover."

"Good."

"Good." Jim cleared his throat, summoned his courage. "So…?"

Pam grinned devilishly as she fumbled for her keys, used them to open the two locks to her apartment, and then swung the door open. She looked back up at him with a glint in her eye as she reached out to grab a fistful of his sweater. "So…..get in here, Halpert." She tugged him aggressively towards her, pulling him into her apartment, pushing the door closed behind them.

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A/N: Crickets…..I have to admit, I'm not used to getting so little feedback on a story- so I tried to wrap it up fairly quickly. I may or may not add a fun and slightly smutty epilogue.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Thanks for the feedback, guys! I guess the lesson learned is that if I want reviews, I should just ask you for them ;). I thought that I'd be able to write everything I wanted to add here in one extra chapter, but apparently I had more to write than I realized, so there will be at least one more. Decided to keep Jim's POV for another chapter. Also, I am aiming for "slightly smutty", but damn, it's Jim and Pam, so this might end up being pretty sappy, too.

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Chapter 7 (Jim's POV):

Jim had always been good at keeping his cool- his brothers had gotten into enough fistfights while they were growing up that he learned pretty quickly what to do if you wanted to avoid getting your ass kicked. And it didn't take him long to realize that keeping his cards close to his vest benefitted him in other ways as well- especially at work. So regardless of what he felt on the inside, he had pretty much mastered the art of keeping his demeanor calm (if still somewhat expressive) on the outside.

As soon as Pam pulled him inside of her apartment, Jim was nothing but thankful for that skill. Because his heart was pounding so loudly and his knees were so wobbly that he had serious concerns as to how long he would be able to remain upright. Though part of him couldn't help but hope he wouldn't have to.

Pam still had a grip on his sweater as she slowly guided him through her living room. Jim followed her trepidatiously. He would go wherever she wanted him to, and he was careful not to steer her; he wanted her to be in control. If Pam decided to throw him on the living room couch so that they could sit there and watch TV, he would completely force aside any disappointment he might have felt about it.

But no, Pam continued to lead him down the hallway and right through her opened bedroom door. Jim's heart started thumping even more loudly and he was positive that Pam could hear it, if not _feel_ it through his bunched-up sweater. He didn't dare speak. He didn't trust his voice.

Wide-eyed, Jim glanced around Pam's bedroom. If he wasn't in so much shock at their situation he would have smiled; the room was so _her_. It looked like she hadn't been living there long enough to accumulate a lot of stuff (especially assuming she had purged the items from her life with Roy), but Jim could see Pam everywhere anyway. He could see her in the days' worth of office clothes strewn across her carpet, to her unmade bed with cozy purple flannel sheets and a matching comforter, to her radiant smile in the framed picture of her at a ski resort with her parents, to the postcards of artwork tucked into the frame of her mirror. He could see Pam in the small cluster of toiletries on her dresser and in the variety of pencils and paintbrushes scattered all over her desk.

And he loved it all. Everything this room was; everything it represented. He loved _her_. "I like your bedroom," he croaked instead. Truthfully, he was shocked that his voice managed to escape at all. He quickly coughed to clear his throat.

Pam, who had been leading him this whole time, pulling Jim along behind her, finally stopped and turned to face him. She blushed a little. "Thanks," she said awkwardly, shrugging her shoulders. "Well, here we are, a more comfortable place," she began hesitantly, looking around, referring to Jim's rooftop comment. She flushed. "Sorry it's such a mess in here." She glanced down at her unmade bed, grimacing slightly, and reached down to pull up her covers with one hand, as though they would magically straighten with a single tug.

Jim immediately tried to comfort her with a hand on her shoulder. "Pam, it's fine," he reassured her. In the last several years he had pictured being on a bed with Pam hundreds, if not thousands, of times. In those fantasies never once did his brain discern whether or not the bed that they were lying on was actually made.

She looked up at him, gave him a rueful smile. "Thanks," she said. "Hey, I'm going to run to the bathroom- be right back." With that, she slipped out from under his hand and headed down the hallway.

Jim stood there, a little unsure of what to do. Should he make himself comfortable, take off his shoes, get on her bed? It might make things less nerve-wracking for Pam, or it might backfire completely and freak her out. Jim decided instead to stay as he was. He took the opportunity to more carefully look around her room, smiling- she really _was_ messy. After a minute, the mirror on her vanity caught his eye. Every square inch of its perimeter was covered with something. Upon further inspection it seemed to be mostly postcards; it looked like some of Pam's favorite artwork. A lot of it was obscure, at least to him, but Jim recognized a few of the most famous works- _American Gothic, The Scream, The Starry Night_. But there was one that stood out to him- _The Kiss_ by Gustav Klimt. He cautiously took several steps closer, leaned over her dresser where her mirror was. He noticed something just beneath that particular postcard, overlapping with it slightly, that made him gasp out loud.

His yearbook picture.

The blood drained from Jim's face as he stared at it. Normally that picture made him want to laugh, and he knew that Pam thought it was hilarious, but that's not what it was doing here- it meant something else this time. Pam had his yearbook picture on the mirror of her bedroom, paired with one of the most romantic pieces of art he had ever seen.

"I don't think I've ever thought about a single kiss so much," Pam explained softly from behind him. She had reentered the bedroom and wasn't far away; he was so hyperfocused on his dorky picture that he didn't even see her approaching him in the mirror. She couldn't have been standing more than two feet away from him, but their eye contact was limited to their reflections. It felt really intimate but prevented Jim from feeling quite so- _exposed_. Perhaps that's what emboldened Pam to confess something so revealing in the first place.

"Me, neither," he whispered.

Pam smiled in response, but it was fleeting. He could hear Pam take a deep breath, hesitate before speaking up again. "Jim? There's something else I want to say."

Jim stood still, braced himself for whatever it was. Given how nervous Pam looked, he honestly couldn't tell if it was really good or really, _really_ bad.

"I, um, I- I love you. I've loved you ever since that night, and- and probably since way before it." Pam was visibly shaking as she said the words that he had been aching to hear for so long.

Jim gasped again as he let those three little words sink in, healing him, filling him up, making him whole. He wanted more than anything to turn and face her- but like when they were driving back here in his car, he was terrified that if he did she would stop saying those things that he really needed to hear. Selfishly, he didn't move or try to comfort her; he just stood there, transfixed. "You did?" he managed to breathe.

She nodded. "It took me a while to understand that that's what it was. But yeah, I did. I mean- um, I do."

Hearing _those_ two little words invoked an entirely different vision of Pam in Jim's mind- one that involved rings and white dresses and churches. But he didn't dwell on that thought- that was later. _She just told you that she loves you, man. One thing at a time. And that one thing was more than you could have possibly hoped to hear tonight._

And it was enough. Enough words, enough talking. He needed to hold her. Jim spun around, closing the distance between them, and gathered her into his arms, kissing her again.

This was the third different setting for their kisses tonight- and by far his favorite. The first had allowed him to move past the rejection- the second was a brief segue into other possibilities- and now the third was those other possibilities manifesting themselves into reality.

Something felt different about these kisses- given that they were mere feet from Pam's bed in the privacy of her apartment, with all of the uninterrupted time in the world (well, at least the next seven hours or so). It would be easy for them to progress to something else, something more. Something that Jim had been fantasizing about ever since he first met her.

Jim had brought not just one but two condoms tonight. Not because he was expecting anything at all from Pam on their first date; he really wasn't. He just knew that if by some rare miracle Pam presented him with the opportunity to make love to her, Jim would regret it forever if he wasn't prepared to act on it. If they weren't going to have sex tonight, it was going to be because Pam wanted to wait- _not_ because he forgot contraception. And he added a second for good measure because- well, you never know.

And right now he was glad he had them- because their kisses started getting heavier and heavier. Increasingly Jim had the thought that they were entirely too clothed, too far apart. But again, he waited for Pam to make a move. He would _never_ push for anything she didn't want to do- so best if she take the reins, lead the way (he'd reciprocate, obviously). And if they kissed for three hours and didn't do a thing else, he'd still leave Pam's apartment a very happy man. That said, though, he was _really_ hoping to at least lie down with her for a while while they locked lips.

After a couple of minutes Pam seemed to come to the same realization that he did- they had trekked from the office back here mostly so that they could get more comfortable as they were kissing. Pam broke off their kiss with a grin, kicked off her heels, and eased onto her mattress, gesturing for Jim to do the same.

Jim took a deep breath, removing his shoes before lying down on his side next to her. _Her move, her move, her move,_ he thought, in rhythm to his frantic heartbeat. He waited what felt like an agonizingly long time for her to kiss him again (though it probably wasn't very long at all).

This kissing session was of roughly the same intensity as the others- but with them lying side-by-side, it felt so _different_. Jim lightly traced his finger down Pam's side- the side of her ribcage, her waist, her hip, down the sides of her thigh- feeling her curves turned him on so much. It didn't take long for Pam to remove her little cardigan sweater that she had worn on the ride home ("it's getting hot," she said off-handedly before pulling it off), and just touching the soft skin of her arms felt amazing to Jim. He couldn't help it; it got him thinking about touching- and kissing- the rest of Pam's body. Every last inch. But not yet. _Her move._

Her move came in a different form than he expected. Jim noticed when she ran her fingers down his chest as they were kissing that Pam's hands were shaking slightly. "Are you okay?" he asked her, concerned.

Pam nodded, smiled. "I'm just nervous."

Jim looked at her, a little worried. "Why?" he inquired, as soothingly as possible.

She gave him an embarrassed smile. "It's been a little while…" she began, trailing off.

"Since?" he prompted her gently.

"Since….I've done… what I want us to do."

"What do you want us to do?" he whispered, his heart skipping beats left and right as he waited for her answer.

Pam gave him a little smile as her entire face flushed. "Everything," she said.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: So- had to change the rating, the slight smut is finally here. I usually try to keep things classy, and I know it's mild compared to some stories on here, but this chapter felt really bold for me- so I hope you enjoy. At least one more chapter is forthcoming- maybe two, we'll see how it unfolds.

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Chapter 8 (Pam's POV):

It was a good thing that Pam trusted him. Letting the word 'everything' slip out to describe what she wanted them to do would have been an absolute disaster with most other guys. But not with Jim.

Still, he was clearly shocked. In response, his eyebrows lifted practically off of his forehead, almost as if he were reacting to one of Michael Scott's crazy antics. But after a few moments, he seemed to recover from his surprise at the bluntness of her statement.

Pam was only telling the truth- she _did_ want it all. Damnit, if she was dying of thirst out in the desert and finally got access to cold water, she had decided she was going to drink every last drop. She'd abruptly abandoned the idea of restraint for the sake of restraint ever since Jim made his little speech while driving her home. She wasn't sure if there was something specifically about what he said- maybe it was when he reminded her of how excited he was by her, or telling her that he wanted whatever she wanted whenever she wanted it. But what she did know was that Jim was right- they _did_ know each other better than a lot of married couples. And God, the way she _felt_ about him. Being out on a romantic date with him tonight only heightened her emotions, made her more certain of her feelings, made her wish she'd said those three little words to him a long time ago. After denying it to herself (and to him) for so long, it felt so wonderful to finally say out loud that she loved him. And now that night was almost over, she wanted to show him just how much.

"Well, we can get around to what all _that_ entails later," Jim said, a little teasingly. But then he turned serious, clasped her shaking fingers in his hand at his chest, looked her in the eye. "But for now," he murmured, "I would love it if you would to try and relax. And let me kiss you. And touch you. And if you don't like what I'm doing, I want you to let me know. And if you do like it- hopefully you'll let me know that, too."

Pam nodded, throat dissolving a little as she tried not to get too emotional. What she and Jim were getting ready to do was a big deal. It meant so much to her that he understood that; that he wanted to take things slow. Instantly, Pam felt a little more at ease. Still holding her hand to his chest, Jim leaned in and gave her a long, slow kiss.

She might have been nervous about the other stuff, but _this_ they'd been doing all night. Oh, and Jim was so _good_ at it. He released her hand from his and brought both of his hands to her face instead, gently running his fingertips over her jaw line and into her hair as they kissed. He slowly eased closer to her, hitching his right leg over hers so that he was halfway on top of her. Pam gasped a little as she welcomed some of his body weight onto her, loving the feeling of part of his chest and torso and hip pressing against hers, keeping her pleasantly pinned to the mattress.

But it didn't take long for things to feel different- because for the first time tonight, Jim began kissing her somewhere other than her lips. He kept her face in his hands as he started at the corners of her mouth, moving in an agonizingly slow line to her cheek, then her jaw, then the side of her neck. _Wow, this is hot_ , Pam thought. Jim was really taking his time, tenderly using his lips and tongue to stimulate erogenous zones on her face and neck she had most definitely had forgotten even existed. By the time Jim reached her ear and gave it a little tug with his teeth, Pam let out a cry of delight so loud that it seemed to echo throughout the room. She was suddenly mortified. But the way that Jim paused to look at her right after she did it, and the expression of satisfaction on his face, was so sexy that she quickly forgot her embarrassment. And Jim immediately went back to kissing her neck again.

It didn't take long for Pam's body to respond to the very careful and deliberate attention that Jim was paying to it. Pam hadn't slept with Roy since a week or two after Phyllis's wedding, and that was months ago. Besides, even when she and Roy were together, their sex life had long since been lackluster. It had everything to do with Roy not knowing her nearly as well as he thought he did, either because he didn't have the capacity or the desire to. But this- with how long Jim was taking to kiss every inch of her neck, to touch her face, to nibble on each curve of her ear- it felt like her body was finally waking up after a lifetime of being asleep. Before she knew it, her face and chest were red and splotchy, her heart was pounding, and her breathing was labored and erratic. Every time Jim's mouth focused on a certain part of her neck Pam felt her entire body throb, the pulsation originating directly from her groin. Her underwear was already soaked, the upper part of her thighs slippery.

Jim moved his hands to either side of her ribcage as he ever-so-slowly began moving his mouth downward towards her chest. His mouth followed the lines of her shirt, angled down one side and up the other, and then moved along the length of her clavicle until it was centered again. He kissed his way straight down this time, right to the point of her V-neck, before moving his hands to Pam's waist at the hem of her shirt and stopping to look up into her eyes. Pam could see in his expression that he was asking her silent permission. _Is this okay?_ She nodded quickly, clumsily, her chest already unpleasantly cooler without the feel of his hot mouth. Jim pushed himself up to his knees, gripped her hands to gently pull her up to a sitting position, and then positioned her arms together high up in the air (even sexier was that he briefly encircled both of her wrists with his long fingers, momentarily 'handcuffing' her). Jim reached down to grip either side of the hem of her shirt before slowly lifting it up over her head.

Usually Pam felt self-conscious in just a bra. She'd worn her sexiest one tonight (just in case)- pink lace. But she'd never had the super-toned stomach she'd always wanted- she lived too sedentary a lifestyle (she worked a desk job for crying out loud) and enjoyed French Onion Sun Chips way too much. Plus, she'd been an early developer, and with fairly big breasts by the fifth grade she was used to feeling objectified by guys, who would sometimes pay scant attention to her face if her cleavage was showing.

Not Jim. He looked at her, _all_ of her, completely mesmerized. "God, you're so beautiful, Pam," he said, his voice full of wonder. He pulled her close, started softly kissing her neck again, while breathing deeply, as if trying to inhale her scent.

While they were still partially upright, Jim seemed to focus on all of the areas easily accessible to his mouth that he just couldn't get to before- especially her shoulders and the upper part of her arms, which had been covered by her cap sleeves. Then he carefully laid Pam back down on the bed, making sure that her head came to rest comfortably on her pillow. He moved half on top of her again, kissing her shoulders further inward, very carefully moving each bra strap to the side so that he could kiss underneath. Then he devoted his attention a little further downward, tracing his tongue down the center of her chest until he met her bra, which plunged deeper than her shirt did. The proximity of Jim's hot mouth to her breasts was such a turn-on that Pam felt her nipples instantly harden, giving Jim a surefire sign that she liked what he was doing without her having to say a word. Upon noticing them (hell, his eyes were right there and her bra was a light lace, it would have been hard for him _not_ to tell), Jim bit his lip as he smiled, and he immediately moved his mouth laterally towards one of them as he began tracing the edges of her bra line.

But this time, Jim broke the rules he established of only kissing skin that was exposed- he kept going until he took an erect nipple into his mouth, over the lace. Pam gasped and then cried out again, more moisture flooding her pubic area, waves of pleasure undulating throughout her body. Jim liberally used his tongue, circling the sensitive areola, and when he grazed his teeth on it just a bit, Pam had had it. Moaning, she leaned up just enough to unfasten her bra in record time and throw it down on the floor beside them.

Once again Jim stared at her, wide-eyed and incredulous. Blinking several times, he shook his head a bit. "I still can't believe we're doing this, that you're letting me…" he began raggedly.

"Don't stop now," she breathed in a rush. She was desperate for Jim to put his mouth on her breasts again. When he obliged, this time without the thin fabric between them, she almost came right then and there.

Jim paid an inordinate amount of attention to her breasts- going from one to the other and then back, exploring every crevasse and angle, using his lips and his teeth and his tongue and his hands and his fingertips. By the time he had begun to move downward away from them, a good ten or fifteen minutes later, Pam was ready for anything. _Everything_ , as she had told him.

But Jim Halpert was a patient, patient man- he had to have been, to wait on her sorry ass mired in a dragged-out engagement with Roy for the past couple of years. She had also observed his patience with Michael, with her coworkers (Dwight obviously excluded) and with Dunder-Mifflin in general. And now he was being patient with her, as he moved his lips from her chest down her stomach to the very top of her belly button. He paused at the button of her skirt, then switched directions entirely- he went to her feet, kissing the tops of each of her toes, then the delicate arch of her foot, then her ankles. Pam wasn't sure if she'd ever been kissed in some of those places before- and though she was a little worried about her feet being an unpleasant place for Jim to put his mouth, she was surprised at how good it felt.

Jim slowly, meticulously worked his way upward, taking his time, making sure his mouth and hands traversed her calves, her knees- his mouth would be on one side while his hands would focus on the other, and then he'd switch. He made his way to the small sliver of thigh peeking out from under her skirt. But Jim was careful to leave her skirt placement exactly as it was until he exhausted every square centimeter below it- and even then, he looked up to Pam again for permission. Pam nodded, and he started pushing her skirt up, slowly, just an inch at a time, being careful to kiss everything that he exposed underneath. This was starting to drive Pam a little crazy- he had a foot to go, at least. Pam took the initiative to unbutton her skirt, unzip it, and yank it off with a quick pull. But it didn't alter or detour Jim's path in the slightest; he continued to work his way up her thighs in a torturously slow fashion. Minutes later, when he finally got to the part of her thighs that was slick with her wetness, he smiled wide and again changed location.

Jim moved his mouth back to her belly button and unhurriedly worked his way down until he reached the edge of her panties. But instead of probing further downward, he first moved his mouth to the side, kissing near her hips; first her right, then her left. The sensation was driving her crazy and Pam writhed a bit from side to side, practically convulsing. It was only after she saw the slightly smug look of satisfaction on Jim's face that he moved his mouth downward again, over the pink lace of her underwear (yes, they matched), and _finally_ down to the bundle of nerve endings that was the source of the throbbing throughout her entire body.

Pam gasped. She could barely comprehend the degree of pleasure that Jim was delivering with his hot tongue to her most sensitive of areas. The fact that it was through her lace underwear was simultaneously incredibly sexy and supremely frustrating. Part of her wanted to rip the panties off, but the thought of Jim taking his mouth off of her for even a second was almost unbearable, so she didn't move an inch. She just laid there, almost frozen in disbelief that a man would be willing to devote so much time and effort to turning her on.

She couldn't remember the last time she'd received this kind of attention from Roy. Him giving her oral sex was rare. Back when they were teenagers he had started out as eagerly as she imagined anyone else would, but back then she just didn't orgasm that way, and Roy quickly grew frustrated with his lack of results (he even went so far one night as to drunkenly ask her, 'what is _wrong_ with you?'). By the time she'd gotten a little older and had a better handle on her body and what it would take to get her off orally, Roy was no longer that willing a participant. So she'd pretty much stopped asking, and they usually skipped oral sex altogether (unless Roy specifically requested a blowjob, which he only did from time to time). Even when he did go down on her, it was half-hearted.

Thinking about Roy for a minute was enough to make Pam feel incredibly self-conscious. Surely Jim couldn't be having that much fun anymore, and it was selfish for her to keep receiving without giving back. As good- no, as _amazing_ \- as his mouth felt, she needed to put a stop to it.

"Jim?" she whispered, almost panting. Jim didn't hear her or he ignored her, she wasn't sure which. "Jim?" she said, more loudly this time.

Jim met her eyes, looking quizzical.

"You don't have to keep doing that," she demurred.

Jim looked at her as though she had three eyes, though he spoke reassuringly. "But I want to," he said simply.

"But- it's too much- I mean-," she gestured to his body, which was still fully clothed, "I haven't done anything for you yet-"

"Pam," Jim interrupted her gently, "there is _nothing_ that could turn me on more than what I'm doing right now. Okay?" With that, Jim took charge and slowly slid down her underwear before going down on her again, this time with even more precision and enthusiasm than before.

 _Oh, God._ That must have been all that she needed to hear- and feel. Within minutes, Pam was having the most intense orgasm of her entire life; she was worried she might pass out. She screamed out loud instead, shuddering against Jim's mouth until she relaxed back onto the bed, utterly spent.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Yeah, this will probably be the most explicit chapter (I'm trying to get in the mind of a twenty-something red-blooded American male about to have sex with the girl of his dreams, so just trying to be realistic). Again, this is very detailed- at least way more so than you would usually see from me. Yowza!

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Chapter 9 (Jim's POV):

This was a dream.

That was only way that Jim could explain it. It had to have been.

It was the only way that he could account for the fact that Pam was sprawled out buck naked, that he could finally see her body in all of its gloriousness. From her messed-up hair, tangled from her rubbing her head up against the mattress and from him running his fingers through it; to her eyes, sparkling with pure happiness; to her lips, turned up in a slight smile, swollen and full and pinker than usual; to her breasts, flushed red from what he just did to her, nipples still hardened; to everything else, her stomach and hips and thighs and all of her femininity, lying there on display right in front of him.

Jim actually had to pinch himself to make sure that he hadn't dozed off. He was having a hard time believing his eyes.

Or his ears. The way that Pam gasped as he sucked on her breasts, the moans and sighs that escaped her lips as he discovered other places on her body where she especially liked to be kissed, how she literally screamed as she came- hands down those were the sexiest sounds Jim had _ever_ heard.

Or his sense of touch, for that matter. Jim couldn't believe how soft Pam's skin felt- everywhere, really, but especially her stomach, that little line where her hips met her groin, her pleasure trail.

And, oh, _God_ , the way she smelled. Fruity body wash (pineapple maybe?), and in her intimate areas a heady, musky, feminine odor- but one that was so uniquely _her_. Oh, and the way she _tasted_ \- Jim couldn't get enough of it. The taste of her mouth was just a hint of champagne, mixed with a little garlic and French onion (which, despite how it sounded, didn't bother him in the slightest). But he also loved the taste of _her_ , which was fresh in _his_ mouth. That taste turned his instincts primal, made him realize that he was merely a mammal reacting to his mate's most potent pheromones. That taste symbolized everything that he could have hoped would happen tonight- that he could turn her on- _and_ get her off.

It was pretty safe to say that Jim was experiencing sensory overload.

And that he'd have plenty to think about the next time he masturbated (and the time after that, and the time after that…)- the reality of this moment simply surpassed his wildest fantasies, by a long shot. He was rock-hard, straining against his khaki pants.

After quickly wiping his mouth on his sleeve, Jim moved from between Pam's legs so that he was instead lying down beside her. He put his hand gently under Pam's chin, raised it until their eyes met. "So- was that what you meant by everything?" he teased just a little, smiling at her.

Pam looked overwhelmed, a little shell-shocked. "That was just- , I mean, you were just-" she faltered. "Um, wow," she finally said, in pure disbelief, still breathing hard, visibly trembling.

Jim took a moment to give himself a proverbial pat on the back for being such a cunnilingus God. But when he examined Pam's expression more closely and saw the look of sheer appreciation combined with complete bewilderment, plus taking into account her reaction from before- he realized something. This wasn't about his skills, the way he moved his lips or his tongue placement or anything else. This was about his _willingness_ \- he could just tell. And Jim then had the sudden, stark realization that Roy had probably been as much of a frustration to Pam in their bedroom as he had been in every other aspect of their relationship. He suddenly felt incredibly angry- and sad.

He had never wanted to punch Roy Anderson in the face so much in his life. Well, except for the fact that Roy's self-centeredness in part led to his loss, which of course was Jim's gain.

And for Pam- for her to be denied for _years_ the simple pleasures of a partner that gave as much as they took, that enjoyed the giving no matter what the end result- he felt so bad for her. She didn't have to tell Jim about it explicitly- he just _knew_ ; he'd heard her complain enough times about Roy and his selfishness that her reaction just now made perfect sense. It was completely consistent with her not being used to someone making the effort to pleasure her the way that Jim just did.

Jim made a promise to himself in that moment- damnit, he was going to make up for it. Or at least try. He'd go down on her every day until she realized that she was worthy of it, until she recognized that she deserved the same level of sexual satisfaction that he did- if not more.

Now he smiled again- because that sounded like a fun challenge.

Pam caught it. "What's this?" she put a finger up to his smile line, referring to his grin.

"Wow is right," was all he could think to reply. He didn't say anything else. He didn't want to remind her of Roy. And she'd get the gist of Jim's plan soon enough. Plus, _wow_.

Pam smiled, then looked him up and down. "This isn't fair," she complained, referring to the fact that the only article of clothing he was missing was his shoes. "You're so dressed and I'm so- so _naked_."

 _Her move._ Jim had done what he'd really wanted to tonight- to touch and taste every inch of her body- the rest was completely up to her. He wanted to make sure she had every opportunity to change her mind along the way, he wanted sex to be _her_ idea. "So what are you going to do about it?" he asked huskily. Right away, he questioned himself for a second in making the decision entirely her choice. _Please, for the love of God Pam, don't put your clothes back on._

Pam grinned wickedly. Mimicking his actions from before, she sat them up, raised his arms high, and then slowly lifted his sweater and undershirt up over his head. Staring at his chest and then down to his pants, she let out a little gasp, as his erection was so obviously tenting an area of his khakis.

She went for his belt next, gently angling the end of it until the hole was freed from the latch, then jerking it aggressively towards her from one side, so the entire thing was released from the belt loops of his pants in one pull. She then moved to his khakis, taking her time as she unbuttoned and unzipped them, then gave them a tug over his hips (he had to lift himself off the bed to get them over his butt, but that was fine by him). When she saw his hard-on through his boxers, she quickly pulled those down, and off, too, until he was almost as naked as she was (she didn't seem to care much about his socks at this point).

She stared at him wide-eyed, slack-jawed. True, he had _never_ been so hard before, so his erection was as impressive as it was ever going to get. But she also seemed- surprised- that he would be this turned on without her really having touched him yet. What she failed to realize was that she was drastically underestimating just how sexy she was, how incredibly hot going down on her was. How much he already wanted her.

It took her a second, but her naivety was quickly replaced with what looked like smug self-satisfaction, as she realized that _she_ did this to him. She moved on the bed now, straddling his waist and leaning down towards him as she started kissing his neck.

 _Oh, God._ He could feel her wetness all over his stomach and see her bare butt in the air, and the way that her breasts hung down and then pressed against his chest was such an unimaginable turn-on. That combined with her mouth on his neck, lips sucking and tongue tickling right by where his ear was- _oh my God_.

Pam whispered in his ear, "So can I finally do something for you in return now?"

Part of him wanted to just let out a guttural groan, giving her the go ahead to use her mouth to her heart's content. But he didn't. Let's see, how could he put this delicately? If she gave him head, he was confident that it wouldn't take much time at all for him to come. Now, if that was the goal, that was one thing, but if there was even a chance that she wanted more- well, he'd rather her just stop driving him crazy right now. Not that that was really possible.

"Um," he said hoarsely, "that depends. Is that how you, um, want to finish things?" This was as polished a question as he was capable of articulating, under the circumstances.

Pam hesitated a second as she took a moment to decipher what he meant. As soon as she seemed to understand, she shook her head adamantly. "No. What I want…" she said, smiling a little shyly, lowering her voice, "is for you to be inside of me." She finished her request practically in a whisper.

 _Holy shit._ What brazen, sexy words. Jim gently lifted Pam off of him, sitting up and putting his feet down to the floor, reaching down to his pants to grab one of the condoms. He ripped the wrapper open, got it out, and applied it in what felt like record time. When he looked at Pam to see her look a little surprised, he blushed. "Me, too," he said, a little apologetically. "Sorry," he added, "I'm just really excited. A little too excited, maybe."

Pam reassured him with an arm around his shoulder, blushing again as well. "No way," is all she said, shaking her head.

Jim chuckled nervously. "Might want to wait until afterward to say that," he joked halfheartedly.

Pam smiled, leaning back to lay flat on the bed, positioning herself directly in the center of it. As Jim crawled up to her, he took a deep breath, heart pounding. This was it. "You ready?" he whispered.

"I'm ready. Whenever, um….whenever you are," she whispered. She seemed more excited than nervous, thankfully. She spread her legs invitingly.

Jim nodded, hesitating for a few moments as he got himself into position on his elbows (thankful he had been doing regular push-ups), slowly readying himself to do what he'd ached to do for so long. But before he did, his put his hands on her face again. "Hey, Pam?" he asked her softly.

She looked him right in the eye, waiting for his response.

"I'm still in love with you," he said simply, but sincerely. "I mean- that never changed." He might have _wanted_ for it to at one point, but there was no point in denying that it didn't work.

Pam's face looked as though it might crumple for a second as her eyes became glassy with tears. But she took a couple of deep breaths, and after a minute, she nodded at him, seeming to signal both that she acknowledged what he was saying but was too emotional to reply, and that she wanted him to go ahead. With that, Jim took a deep breath as well as he slowly, _slowly_ entered her.

For several moments Jim didn't move, getting his bearings, as he tried to adjust to the absolutely incredible feel of her surrounding him. This moment felt better than he could have ever imagined, and with the foreplay that they'd already experienced, with how turned-on he already was, he didn't see himself lasting very long. He looked at Pam closely, making sure she was okay- but she seemed fine- happy that they were doing this, if still a little emotional. Jim started moving the only way that he could without feeling like he was going to explode- at an almost mind-numbingly slow pace. Hold, at least for a few seconds. Slowly pull pretty much the whole way out, so that he stimulated her labia with the tip. Then an excruciatingly slow push in, the whole way, as deep as he could get. Hold. Repeat, with the next round going almost imperceptibly less slow.

Jim did have a couple of advantages- for one, he had just had sex with Karen last night- they did have a good time hanging out in the city, getting their own hotel room. The thought made him feel conflicted-for obvious reasons. But he'd been in love with Pam forever, and he had the opportunity right now to show her, so he was damn well sure he was going to take advantage of it. But his recent sex did offer up the benefit of him not feeling quite the same pressure to release.

Plus, and he wasn't sure if he could ever admit to Pam that he did this- but since he happened to have one of the most boring jobs in the entire universe, he usually thought about Dunder-Mifflin at times like this. Sure, during baseball season he often worked in thoughts about the Phillies' pitching rotation, but what usually occupied his mind during sex was paper. Quantities, type of copier paper, whether he can supply it to his clients, whether they can pay for it. He'd found it was by far the most reliable subject where his mind could wander safely and keep him from getting too excited. Selling paper at Dunder-Mifflin- the deadliest weapon in Jim Halpert's arsenal when it came to his sexual performance.

Several minutes in, it was all going pretty well, he thought- until he looked at her. Of course, he was doing frequent check-ins the entire time, glancing at her to make sure that she seemed to be enjoying herself. He wanted to kiss her, but he wasn't sure she'd want to taste herself on his breath, so he was waiting for her to initiate it, and she never did. But this time he _really_ studied her. Looking at her eyes, though they were mostly closed, enjoying the moment; at her mouth, varying from pursed lips to giving him wide-opened sighs to quiet grunts; at her breasts, jiggling and bouncing beautifully beneath him, nipples erect again. Suddenly, Jim realized that he was a goner.

Imperceptibly less slow turned into noticeably less slow as Jim began picking up the pace. Though he fought it, keeping his movements as deliberate as he possibly could, that didn't last very long either. A few moments later Pam requested urgently that his movements become the very thing he had been trying to avoid.

"Faster, faster!" she breathed.

 _Oh, shit._ Jim went faster, knowing that it was going to be the end of him, only hoping that Pam would orgasm before he did. When she started to, seconds later, crying out his name, he said a silent thank-you and just let go.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10 (Pam's POV):

Pam had been so wrapped up in her own ecstasy that she didn't even realize that Jim was having an orgasm until she finally opened her eyes and saw the expression on his face. His eyes rolled backward a bit and he let out a loud-for-Jim but still pretty soft groan. Pam watched him carefully, fascinated- she couldn't take her eyes off of him. Seeing him get off was so hot. And after the ridiculous amount of pleasure he'd bestowed on her body, he more than deserved some of his own.

As soon as he was done, Jim carefully pulled out, trembling a little. He then bent his elbow and sort of half-rolled until he was lying on his side, facing her. He gave her a quick peck on the cheek.

"Hey, I'll be right back, okay?" he mumbled, softly stroking her face with his fingertips. With that, Jim popped up, then stood still for a few seconds as he eased off the condom, gripping it in his hand. He gestured towards the hallway, indicating that he would be going to the bathroom to dispose of it.

Pam took the opportunity to watch Jim Halpert walk away from her, completely naked. _Damn._ His butt was the first thing she stared at; it was every bit as nice as she'd expected, and she expected a lot. She'd checked it out countless times as he walked away from her reception desk- back when she was with Roy she did it unconsciously, and then stealthily, but more recently she had been pretty blatant about it, not even caring if Karen saw her (though Pam didn't think she ever did). It was so much sexier exposed than covered up by his work slacks. She took in Jim's long and lean legs before moving her eyes back up to view his narrow hips, his back, his deceptively broad shoulders. God, what an absolutely gorgeous man.

As Jim disappeared from view, Pam stretched out on the bed, happy and exhilarated and exhausted and completely, almost overwhelmingly satisfied. Without him around for the next minute or two, she quickly refocused her attention, from the looks of Jim's body to instead what he'd been able to do with it as she fantasized about the last couple of hours.

 _So_ this _is what mind-blowing sex feels like._ _Finally_. She was hot, flushed, and throbbing everywhere. Her heartbeat felt like it was originating from at least three different places. Except that each pulse was just another wave of pleasure that coursed through her, relaxing her in ways she'd _never_ felt before. He'd mentally relaxed her, too- while she had been _really_ nervous at first, Jim had this way- like he always had- of putting her at ease. It helped that the sex was so slow and tender and careful at first- it allowed the reality of it to sink in and for Pam to get used to something that was really foreign- being with anyone other than her ex-fiancé- plus, it just felt _so_ good. She hated to make comparisons between Jim and Roy, because Roy wasn't a terrible guy and she knew she hurt him and she felt bad for that. But really, there _was_ no comparison. Not that she had any desire to focus on anyone but Jim right now.

In bed, Jim was so- gentle, attentive, patient, selfless- the same way he was with her everywhere else. And yet- he possessed a fierce determination and persistence and passion, too, one that she rarely saw from him at Dunder-Mifflin. One that made her realize that he needed to do something else with his career, something that excited and stimulated him more than selling paper. But it was a double-edged sword, because she also wanted to continue to see him at work every day.

Though of course what made Jim so incredible in bed, what made just now so spectacular, was the fact that she was in love with him. When she was still with Roy, she loved him, of course, but she'd fallen _out of_ love with him a long time ago- it just took Jim to make her realize it. But this- but tonight- it was _Jim_. This was monumental. She had a feeling she'd be thinking about the last several hours for a long, long, time.

It was a good thing that Pam obviously didn't know until now what she had been missing. Now that she knew, she'd never be able to settle for less. Hopefully Jim was planning to stick around for a while so she wouldn't have to.

When Jim came back into view a couple of minutes later, Pam's gaze was immediately drawn back to Jim's naked body. She'd never seen so much of his skin before- sure, being friends as long as they were, she'd had the opportunity to witness him quickly change shirts or whatever, but she'd never gotten to really _see_ it. Her breath hitched. Six-foot-three inches of long, extra-lean muscle slowly made its way towards her.

She just stared. _Wow_.

She stared at Jim's chest, at the modest arrangement of his chest hair. She stared at his taut stomach, flatter than hers would ever be, that was for sure. She stared at the little lines that protruded on either side right where his trunk met his hips; there was no sexier line she had ever seen on a guy, she was convinced (though she may have been biased because Roy was heavier, so on him they didn't show up very well). And when Pam followed those lines downward with her eyes, she noticed that Jim still had an erection. _Damn._ Her eyes kept moving, taking in his sexy, hairy thighs and calves before returning her gaze up to his face.

Pam raised an eyebrow and gave him a shocked look in combination with an embarrassed smile as Jim flushed at her obvious ogling. He finished his trek to the bed, slowly getting on it to lie down next to her. "Like what you see, Beesly?" he asked her teasingly.

Pam giggled softly. "Maybe. Though I dunno- I still think you might look hotter in the Dwight outfit. Especially with the glasses." She ribbed him back.

Jim chuckled. "Oh, really? Well, I'll be sure to wear them when we're at my place."

Pam's heart skipped a beat. Part of it was what he said- that it was just assumed that they would be doing this again soon somewhere else- and she loved that he was feeling confident enough in them to say that. But also the way he just sounded so casual about it, like he didn't give it a second thought. She nodded approvingly. "All right, sounds sexy," she said.

Jim laughed again. "Did you really just bring up Dwight Schrute?"

Pam's smile distorted slightly as she thought about why it might have occurred to her to broach the topic of their coworkers. "Well, if we do decide to go in tomorrow, we're going to have to see him- and everyone else- in about," she glanced at the clock by her bedstand, which read 3:17 am, "five hours. We need to figure out what we're going to say."

"What _we're_ going to say?" Jim teased her. "You're the one with a dozen roses by her desk."

 _Oh, that's right,_ Pam thought. She had completely forgotten to take the roses home- she'd been a little, uh, _distracted_ \- so there was ample evidence that she had had at least _some_ sort of romantic encounter. Of course she was the one that was going to be pestered the most.

"Oh," she began softly. "I mean- I guess, um, what _I'm_ going to say, then," she said. "So, um- what- what do you want me to say?" Pam wasn't sure if Jim wanted people at the office to know the truth. Considering that he was with Karen as recently as this afternoon, it would make sense if Jim wanted her to keep them quiet for a while.

In response, Jim kissed her square on the lips. He had obviously taken advantage of the bottle of Listerine she kept on her bathroom sink- because his breath was minty fresh. Suddenly, Pam felt self-conscious about her own breath- God knows she'd consumed enough garlic and onion tonight. Of course, she'd brought mints on their date, but hadn't even gotten a chance to use them, since Jim's first kisses had caught her so much by surprise. Still, Jim didn't seem to mind.

"Say whatever _you_ want," Jim said as he pulled away a few moments later. "I'm more than willing to deal with the harassment if it means that I can say we're together. I mean, things at work might suck in the short-term, because I'm not looking to hurt Karen, but I don't want to lie, either. But if you're not ready to say anything yet, I understand."

Pam grinned. He was so sweet. And cute. _We're together_. Knowing how he felt gave her strength. And she didn't want to lie to anyone either. "Well, I'll just be honest, then, when someone asks," she said. She jabbed a bit at his ribs with her elbow. "So, we're together, huh?"

"Oh, you thought that _all of this_ ," Jim jokingly said as he gestured to his still-naked body, "was only for one night? C'mon, Beesly, I would never deprive you like that."

She couldn't argue with that. _Deprive_ didn't seem to be in Jim's vocabulary, at least not from what she'd experienced so far. But she decided to tease him anyway. "Well, the night's not over yet," she said. "You could still deprive me. After all, you're already starting to turn me on again," _she_ gestured to his still-naked body this time, "and we've already used the condom you so _thoughtfully_ brought along."

Not that Pam was actually upset that Jim had provided the prophylactic. She had long since gone off of the pill, and she'd never bothered to buy anything else since there wasn't anyone besides Jim that she wanted to sleep with (and given his long-term relationship with another woman she certainly didn't anticipate _this_ happening). That said, she was now going to go out and buy herself a gigantic box of condoms- because he'd only begun to whet her sexual appetite, especially now that she knew what to expect. Or perhaps she could go back on the pill- she still had a week or two's worth left; it would be enough to get her through to a gynecologist's appointment if she called and made one soon. That would be a nice surprise for Jim. Suddenly she couldn't stop imagining what things would be like with no barrier, with nothing at all, between them.

Jim's voice pulled her out of her daydream. "I have another one, actually," he said in a soft voice, though his look was devilish.

Pam's eyebrows lifted. "Wow, overconfident much, Halpert?"

Jim shook his head, his mischievous façade quickly fading. "Not overconfident. Just prepared. And- hopeful, I guess." He placed his hand on the curve of her hip. "I mean, I'd be absolutely kicking myself if I wasn't ready for whatever you wanted."

 _Whatever she wanted._ She wasn't sure the last time she'd heard those words from Roy. In that moment, Pam was just so proud of herself. For ending things with Roy, for realizing that she deserved a relationship that wasn't based on convenience. For telling Jim the truth.

"Whatever I want, huh?" she asked him slyly. She leaned over and gave him a kiss.

* * *

An hour and a half later, they both decided they were _definitely_ calling out of work today. Pam planned to call in an hour or so saying she wasn't feeling well (she was going to try to sound hungover, even though that wasn't the best excuse for missing work, simply because that seemed like a reason that Michael could buy upon viewing her flowers without necessarily linking it to Jim). Jim said he'd wait until closer to 8 to call and take a vacation day, citing he was tired (which he was) and wanted a three-day weekend after his interview. They hoped that things would be a bit calmer at the office- at least as far as Karen was concerned- if they waited until Monday to show up, even though they both knew the rumor mill would be swirling overtime today.

Jim was spooning her on her bed when Pam suddenly spoke up. "You know what else I want?" Man, this trying to be more honest lately stuff was _amazing_.

"What's that?" Jim softly stroked her hair near her neck as he whispered near her ear, giving her goosebumps.

"I want you to stay here for the weekend," she said, turning her head so that she could see him.

Jim nodded. "Sure," he said, in the easygoing voice that he almost always uses, like what she asked him was nothing out of the ordinary at all. He squeezed her a little tighter. "You might regret you said that Beesly, I'm going to be hard to get rid of, like cockroaches. Or herpes."

Pam giggled. "Wow, you paint such a pretty picture. I won't regret saying it, though."

Jim spoke cheerfully. "You're the artist, Pam. I didn't bring a change of clothes; I hope that's okay."

Pam stopped laughing but couldn't manage to wipe the smile from her face. "I don't see that being a problem. But you're going to have to venture out for more condoms at some point anyway, Mr. Overprepared, so you can swing home and grab some clothes, too."

"Fair point," Jim conceded, squeezing her again.

Pam couldn't think of a better place to be at that moment than lying there, spooning with Jim, relaxed and happy, knowing that he'd be there for three more days. She was sure that they'd talk a lot this weekend, probably about how much they'd hurt each other and how sorry they both were for it, but for now Pam was just glad that they were finally _here_.

And on Monday they'd go into the office, having three days to have prepared for the work onslaught. Interrogating questions from Dwight, judgmental derision from Angela, inappropriate comments from Michael, unabashed perviness from Kevin, of course, whatever wrath that Karen had in store for them (and rightfully so, really). Answering questions, evading looks, and getting used to utter mortification and embarrassment, at least until their relationship became old news, which would probably be a while.

Working at Dunder-Mifflin was never going to be the same again.

But then Pam thought about the other side of it. How she'd be able to gaze at Jim all throughout the day, how she'd be able to watch him walk away from reception knowing _exactly_ how his butt looks beneath his work pants; how they'd be able to exchange smiles and expressions at their desks that would mean more than anyone would ever know; how they'd be able to sneak occasional kisses in the break room; how they might even be able find themselves in the deserted storage room when no one was around and fulfill one of Pam's wildest fantasies.

And she realized that Dunder-Mifflin never being the same again was actually a _great_ thing.


End file.
